


Rip Off the Wings of a Butterfly

by dumbsbian



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Bounty Hunters, Emotional Baggage, F/F, Flashbacks, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Past Relationship(s), Road Trips, Smut, Unresolved Emotional Tension, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 09:27:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29698464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbsbian/pseuds/dumbsbian
Summary: JJ and Emily have been chasing Elle Greenaway for almost two years now. Elle's been away from The Agency for nearly three, off doing her own thing. At times, it feels like they'll never catch the rogue agent turned hitwoman for hire, but maybe they aren't supposed to catch her just yet.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Clubs in generally were not Elle's preferred scene. However, she had been told by her latest client that her target frequented this particular club. The music was loud, the alcohol was way more expensive than it should have been, and the entire club smelled like the rich boy version of Axe. Elle's heels were starting to kill her feet and the gun holster did not exactly feel comfortable against her leg. She'd have to see about getting a new one soon because her old one was falling apart. It'd be sad getting rid of that one, it was her first one, a gift from Gideon to celebrate her acceptance into The Agency years ago. She'd been about 17 then and while her eyes had been set on FBI, The Agency promised her more consistent action. 

"I don't think I know you, but I think I'd like to." Elle looked at the young man standing in front of her. He matched the description that her client gave and aside from a little scruff that was supposed to be a goatee, he matched the photograph too. Elle tilted her head and smiled at him as she reached out and grabbed his collar. He turned his head back to his buddies and just simply beamed at them. Elle refrained from scoffing and pulled him through the massive crowd. The good thing about clubs was the lighting and alcohol tended to make it difficult for her to be properly identified by potential witnesses. Elle pushed open the door that opened back into an alley where it was doubtful that anybody would see them from the street or nearby buildings. 

Elle didn't make it more than a couple of feet before the guy pushed her back against one of the walls. Elle huffed as her back hit the wall with a thud and the man moved towards her. He had her pinned there, but he didn't know how easily she could get away from him. None of the targets that Elle took like this one ever knew. The excitement that she was taking them somewhere more private clouded their judgement and reasoning skills. They didn't question the fact that she had been at the bar all night without a single drink, not that her targets always saw her first. 

"Wait," Elle said as he put his hand on her shoulder. He was about to try and push her onto her knees. It was a dickhead move and a big mistake on his part. Elle put her hand on his chest and pushed him backwards. She leaned over and pretended that she needed to vomit as she reached for the gun strapped to the inside of her leg, hidden under her dress. Elle screwed on the silencer and stood up straight. She took a couple of steps towards him before shooting him in the hip. He stumbled backwards and Elle aimed for his kneecaps this time, taking both of them out. As he laid on the ground, Elle walked towards him until she was standing over him. "Zeke Martin, right?" 

"Y-yeah," he stuttered out. He wanted to scream, but he didn't want Elle to kill him. Elle gave a small nod at his confirmation that he was her target as she took off one of her heels. She knelt down and pushed his head back a bit with the heel of her hand. 

"Vanessa says she'll see you in hell," Elle told him before she stabbed the heel through his throat. He gasped and sputtered, trying to scream, but he couldn't. Elle knew he'd bleed out, but she emptied out the rest of her clip into him for good measure. Besides, she had read all about the trial his lawyers had managed to get him out of. Once again, the system had failed his victims because he had enough money to make it work for him. Elle took a post-it out of her small clutch where the silencer had been and then slipped it into his pocket. 

Elle didn't waste any time in leaving the area and finding a payphone to call in the kill confirmation. Once that was finished, Elle hailed herself a cab and went back to her hotel. At the hotel, Elle disposed of the dress, gun holster, and other heel before taking a shower and going to bed for the night. She'd have to be up early if she wanted to catch JJ coming into town. 

* * *

"Oh, fuck JJ! Right there," Emily moaned out as JJ's tongue ran over her clit. JJ had been teasing Emily pretty much all night, which was not why they had met up. Emily had called JJ for a quick fuck, something to help her relax and take her mind off of the boredom of being stuck in her apartment all day. It was a rare stretch of radio silence from Hotch about a potential sighting or murder linked to Elle. Sometimes, it got quiet and Emily and JJ would be assigned to catch someone else. The last time Hotch had done this though, Elle had slipped right past their fingers. Emily had seen her, right where JJ warned Emily Elle might have been. Emily knew that JJ still had contact with Elle, there was no way that all of JJ's "hunches" were just that. 

"Stop thinking," JJ told Emily as she harshly bit into the older woman's thigh. Emily yelped in surprise as her hips rose up a bit. JJ pushed Emily's hips back down against the bed and went right back to teasing Emily a bit more. JJ must have been in a mood, something had happened within the last couple of months that really fucked things up for JJ. Emily noticed it when they were working together and she noticed it outside of their work relationship as well. JJ may have told Emily to stop thinking, but sometimes, Emily wished that JJ would get out of her head long enough to enjoy what they had. It was hard finding someone to have such a good sexual relationship with that didn't interfere with a working one in the slightest. 

"Fuck JJ, I think I'm go-," Emily was interrupted by a cellphone ringing. It was Emily's, the familiar crisis alarm that accompanied work calls filling the room. Seconds later, JJ's phone began to vibrate in the back pocket of her pants. Emily could feel it shaking the bed and she reached out to grab JJ's phone since it was closer. JJ sat back on her heels and accepted the phone from Emily. 

"Jareau," JJ answered the call. 

_**"You and Prentiss need to head over to the airport to catch a flight. There might be a case. Young man murdered in an alley outside of a club, shots match other of Elle's victims, but there was a heel stabbed through his throat,"**_ Hotch told her. JJ sighed as she stood up, giving Emily an apologetic look. She had planned on having a much longer night with her partner than it appeared that they would be having. 

"Alright, I'll get her and we'll be at the airport in 30," JJ told Hotch. Her boss hung up the phone and JJ leaned over Emily to grab her pants. "College student was shot, looks like it could be Elle's style. There was overkill though." 

"Overkill?" Emily asked and JJ nodded. "What kind of overkill?" 

"A high heel stabbed through the victim's throat." JJ spun around as she looked for her shirt. Emily got out of the bed, grumbling about the interruption and started to get dressed. The two of them were out of Emily's apartment fairly quickly and met their pilot at the airport. The plane was small, much too small for them to get away with finishing up what they'd started at Emily's apartment in the back of the plane. So, Emily spent the first couple of hours of the flight with her legs squeezed tightly shut as she watched JJ reading through a leather bound journal. She suspected that it was Elle's, but Emily had never asked JJ about it, nor did she plan on it. Elle was still, even after a few years, a sensitive subject for JJ. 

* * *

Elle was not the type to stick around after she'd committed a crime. Her handler hadn't called her back in quite some time or given her an address, so Elle presumed that she was freelance for awhile. If someone needed her help, they could come and find her easily enough. That was how she had ended up in this somewhat sleepy college town in Indiana. There had been a series of calls, no doubt pushed by her handler, and then Elle had met with a girl who had once been very sweet and innocent, Vanessa. Vanessa had explained to Elle what happened to her, all the awful things that Zeke had done to her and gotten away with. All the things that he'd done to other girls too. Elle would have probably offed him for the sake of getting rid of guys like him, but she took Vanessa's money. It wasn't like it damaged the trust fund all that much anyways. 

"You really fucked him up," Vanessa said as she slid into a booth across from Elle. Elle set the newspaper she'd been pretending to read down and a waitress came over to take their orders. Vanessa waited until the waitress was gone before she spoke to Elle again. "I didn't think you'd really stick the heel in his throat." 

"That was a doable request," Elle said flatly. Vanessa stayed long enough for her cup of coffee before leaving to go to one of her classes. Elle ate her breakfast, ordered another cup of coffee, and waited for the familiar burgundy sedan to roll in at the crime scene. Almost as if on cue, the car came in and Elle watched as JJ and her new partner got out of it. The next time Elle got a call from her handler, she'd have to ask if there was any information on JJ's new partner. It was obvious whoever was keeping her out of The Agency's way was familiar with how they worked, which meant files were a doable request for her. 

"It really isn't the same place I grew up," the waitress, Amanda, said. Elle turned to see the woman staring towards where the crime scene was. "I swear nobody used to get murdered around here. They definitely didn't sent those fancy feds when crimes happened. Refill miss?" 

"No thank you, can I get the check please?" Elle asked and the waitress nodded. It was really only a matter of time before JJ would find the picture and report back to Hotchner. JJ would have to brief the police on the situation and Elle would have a good couple of hours to make herself scarce. Elle would stay though, for a bit, maybe do something to toy with them before they got to leave. 

"Here ya go." Elle took the bill, paid in cash, and then left a hefty tip. Vanessa had paid her well, and all in cash. Elle's backpack was a bit heavier with the money inside of it as she walked down the street towards her hotel. On her pillow, there was a note for her, telling her to stay a little while longer in town. She'd have a big job coming up and if Elle could stall JJ and Emily for a bit, it'd be helpful. 

* * *

JJ pretended to check her phone as Emily walked away to call Hotch and tell him about the butterfly they'd found. By now, Emily knew that was Elle's signature. It was the way that she let JJ and Emily know that they were on the right trail. It was infuriating for JJ, having to see something that had once been a symbol of trust and love with Elle was now associated with the fact that the woman was now a killer. In a moment of weakness, JJ went into Elle's contact and pressed the call button. She tapped her fingers impatiently as the phone rang and rang until the answering machine message started. 

"Hey, it's Greenaway. Leave a message and I'll try to get you back unless Jay beats me to it." The message ended with the beep and JJ realized she wasn't sure what she wanted to say to Elle. It'd been almost two whole months now since she'd gotten Elle to answer the phone. There was no way that Elle would ever call JJ back, but Elle was clearing the messages out so she knew that JJ was still trying. 

"Elle, I want to tell you to give yourself up, but I know you won't do that. Take care of yourself, please. I miss hearing from you, I really do. It was nice knowing that you were okay, that you hadn't completely destroyed yourself. Maybe one day, this can all be sorted out and your sentence won't be too harsh. I almost don't want to catch you because I don't know what they'd do with you. I think my time's almost up, bye Elle. Call me back sometime, okay?" 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback chapter establishing some Jemily stuff.

Officially, Emily Prentiss was in Chicago, working with the FBI. She was a part of one of their midwestern branches as a profiler. The team she was supposed to be a part of was chasing down a serial killer who'd been hitting the suburbs around the city. Unofficially, Emily Prentiss was in Europe giving a testimony on the recently killed Ian Doyle. Interpol worked hard to keep his escape under wraps. All it had taken was one phone call to their former agent and Emily was on the first flight she could get to London, where agents were waiting to brief her. 

It had taken them maybe six days to find Doyle. Well, once he found out that Emily was in Europe, he came looking for her. She knew that she was bait, but she also knew that he'd hesitate to kill her. To him, she was still Lauren, his beloved. That had been one hell of an undercover job, taking up years of her life. Now that she'd been the one to put a bullet in Doyle's head instead of trusting someone else to do that, all traces of that life were officially gone. Emily felt a little guilty about the fact that the other agents who'd been on that case with her didn't make it, but maybe it was safer if nobody knew about that anyways. Sure, there'd always be rumors about the American agent, Lauren Reynolds, but nobody could officially put a face to a name. 

"Hold on," the interrogator said as he put his finger over his earpiece. Emily sighed and leaned back in her chair, tilting her head back as far as she could before it got painful. A small crack sounded in her neck and Emily winced a little. It hadn't really hurt, but it definitely felt odd. She was stiff, having been pushed from Interpol facility to safe house to facility to safehouse and back again. She wasn't sure how many times in the past month she'd given her statement, but she wanted to get back to her home in America and Sergio, her beloved cat. "Ms. Prentiss, there is someone waiting to take you back to America outside. You are released." 

"Fucking finally," Emily muttered under her breath as she stood up. Emily stood up from the cold and uncomfortable metal chair. She gave one last look at the interrogator and the room itself before she walked out. A woman escorted her outside, where a black car with heavily tinted windows was waiting for her. At first, she thought it could have been anyone, FBI, CIA, NSA, but then she saw the little blue 'A' decal on the side of one of the doors. It was a dark blue, almost dark enough to blend in with the black paint on the car. The Agency was pulling Emily, which meant she was about to be met with choices. Nobody technically had to work with them, but Emily doubted she'd be back in America for a few months to a year if she refused them. 

"Around the block," Aaron Hotchner told the driver a Emily got into the car. Once the door was closed, the car pulled out to join the traffic on the street. "How long have you been away?" 

"About a month and a week," Emily told him. Aaron gave her a small nod and handed over a piece of paper. Emily took it from him and looked over it. It was a bounty contract, one that didn't specify whether or not Emily had to let this perp live or die. All that it specified was that the body had to be returned to the DC offices. Emily read on a bit further and then set the paper down in between her and Aaron. "Hotch, when did you start hunting your own?" 

"When she went rogue. You'll be working with someone who knew her very well, her old partner. You are not to show her partner that contract. Jareau has to believe that Elle will be brought in alive," Aaron told Emily. "Understand?" 

"I got it Hotch. I take this contract, meet with the old partner, and we find this Greenaway woman to bring in. How much force do you think we'll need for this?" Emily asked. The Agency didn't just hire people to kill, so if Emily had the clearance to terminate before arresting Elle, that meant the higher ups thought she was potentially very hostile. Strauss was a stickler for playing things as "by the book" as she could to keep things looking official in case of investigation. 

"We confirmed her killing one of our informants, Dr. Spencer Reid. There is also speculation that she is involved in the disappearance of Jason Gideon. The quicker we can get her off the streets, the safer everyone will be." Emily didn't need to look at Aaron to tell that he was taking this personally. Emily didn't mention it and just signed her name on the dotted line, accepting the contract. 

* * *

Emily looked at the different buildings as she walked along the street. Just where she was told it would be, Emily saw a dive bar with its door cracked open. The meeting place wasn't what Emily expected, but she supposed that she didn't mind it that much. At least here, she could get a drink while she met with her new partner for this contract. Aaron had given her a small file on this woman, Jennifer Jareau. She had been recruited straight from the FBI training school after college and she'd been trained under Aaron at The Agency. She had been partnered up with Elle Greenaway, who had transferred over to DC after bouncing around the west coast for a couple of years. The two women had been partnered up for about five years before Elle had "went rogue" and became a killer. 

"I'm looking for a Jennifer," Emily told the bartender. He nodded and pointed over towards the back where a blonde woman was doing shots of something. Emily sighed under her breath and cautiously walked over towards that booth. She cleared her throat and the blonde woman looked at her. Emily easily could have mistaken her as a grieving woman or maybe even just someone new to the job. Everybody developed some sort of vice from this job and Emily had seen many of her peers lose themselves to a bottle. "I'm Emily Prentiss." 

"Hotch's mystery woman," JJ snarked. Emily tried not to take it personally, this woman was hunting her former partner of many years. That had to take a toll on the woman mentally. "You sign over already?" 

"I did," Emily answered. "So, um, Jennifer, do you know where Elle might be heading?" 

"It's JJ, and not a clue. I checked old places on the west. I went to find her family in New York. Nothing, and trust me, when they brought in the new guy, Strauss rode my ass to find her," JJ told Emily. Emily huffed and JJ poured her a shot. "To our new partnership." 

"To our new partnership," Emily echoed as they clinked the tiny glasses together. Both women took the shots and then JJ brought the bottle back up to the bartender. She set the bottle on the bar and handed over a wad of cash wrapped in a rubber band. 

"Get something nice for the family Matt," JJ told the bartender as she walked out of the bar, stumbling slightly. 

* * *

It was hard to find someone with the job that JJ had. Between travel and, to say the least, odd hours, relationship were practically impossible. Elle had understood that and so it had made sense when they fell into bed together. Emily seemed to have the same exact understanding. Even if she didn't, the brunette wasn't doing anything to stop JJ as the two women made out in the hallway. JJ had Emily pressed up against the wall outside of their hotel room. It was risky, there could have cameras watching them in the hall, but JJ needed to feel something with someone. 

"Oh fuck," Emily moaned as JJ's thigh slid in between Emily's. JJ held onto Emily's hips and helped Emily to grind against JJ even harder. 

"Do you want more?" JJ asked and Emily nodded as JJ's lips trailed along her jaw. "I didn't quite catch that." 

"Yes." Emily sounded breathy. JJ had been teasing her a bit on the ride to the hotel. It was one of the perks of being close enough to DC that they got a driver. 

"Normally I'd tell you to ask nicely, but I just can't wait to feel how wet you are already," JJ husked in Emily's ear. JJ moved her head back to kiss Emily's lips, nipping on her bottom one as she pulled away. Emily felt like she was waiting an eternity before JJ's hands finally made their way into her pants, teasing the brunette through her underwear. JJ focused on one spot in particular, which had started as a small wet spot, but quickly grown into enough to completely ruin Emily's underwear. 

JJ pushed Emily's underwear to the side and slipped her fingers inside of Emily. Emily grabbed onto JJ's arms to steady herself as she was fucked up against the wall. Emily couldn't believe how good it felt. She hadn't realized how long it'd been since she had been with someone. It definitely helped that JJ was good with her hands. Emily wondered what it'd feel like to have JJ doing the same thing with her tongue. JJ's tongue had been quick and deft when they were kissing and Emily would have bet her trust fund that she could do even better between Emily's legs. 

"Don't hold back baby. Fortune favors the brave," JJ told Emily. All it took after that was a couple curls of JJ's fingers inside of Emily's cunt and Emily was cumming. JJ leaned past Emily for a moment and opened their hotel room door. Emily let herself be pulled into the room and shut the door behind her. Emily watched as JJ walked over to the bed, stripping her clothes as she went. JJ laid down on the mattress and Emily followed her, shedding her clothes as she made her way over there. JJ pulled Emily on top of her and kissed her. 

There wasn't necessarily a lot of passion between the two of them, but the kiss was full of passion and longing. Arousal cut through the kiss and JJ moved Emily's fingers in between her legs. Emily didn't even have to move, JJ ground her hips as she sought out any sort of friction. Emily pushed away from JJ and moved to lay between her legs. Emily's fingers slipped inside of JJ easily and Emily sought out a rhythm as she brought her mouth down to wrap her lips around JJ's clit. 

JJ moaned and swore under her breath as Emily sped up the pace of her fingers. JJ's body began to tense as the tip of Emily's tongue flicked against JJ's clit. Somehow, Emily managed to do the exact things that JJ's body craved. JJ didn't bother trying to be quiet, a growl tearing from her throat as she moved her hips to match Emily's fingers. JJ craved her release, but she refused to ask Emily for more. They were partners, equals, and JJ wasn't prepared to release that bit of control to Emily yet. Instead, she just waited until the build up was too much for her body to take and cum flowed freely over Emily's fingers, completely coating them. 

"Fuck," JJ said lowly as Emily sucked her own fingers clean. JJ sat up and slid off of the bed. She offered her hand to Emily and the brunette took it. JJ walked Emily out to the balcony and leaned Emily against the railing. JJ moved behind Emily and pressed a trail of kisses along her neck and down the path of her spine. JJ kneeled behind Emily and spread her legs a bit. "Have you ever been fucked out in the open like this?" 

"I haven't, but something tells me that I'm about it," Emily answered. She was right about that because seconds later, JJ's mouth was on her cunt. JJ started at Emily's entrance, lapping up every drop of Emily that was offered to her. Slowly, JJ moved her tongue down Emily's folds until she reached her clit. Emily's knees buckled as JJ sucked Emily's clit into her mouth. Emily's knuckled started to turn white from how tightly she was gripping the railing, trying to keep herself up. JJ alternated between sucking on Emily's clit and lapping up the wetness trickling down from Emily's entrance. 

Emily's legs shook as she came, but JJ didn't stop. Instead, she used the flat part of her tongue to lap at Emily's clit until she was thrown into her third orgasm of the night. Then, JJ sucked every drop of cum out of Emily that she could. JJ stepped back from Emily's body, grabbed one of Emily's ass cheeks and kissed Emily so that the brunette could taste herself on JJ's tongue. Emily was a little out of it, hazy from JJ making her cum so hard. JJ sighed as she turned her back to Emily and walked back into the hotel room. By the time that Emily had managed to get back inside, JJ's clothes and the woman were gone. 


End file.
